Woodbridge: Teenage boy living at Rock Barracks threatened while dad served in Afghanistan

20:34 22 February 2013

Rock Barracks, Woodbridge

A TEENAGER who damaged property at a military base threatened to take revenge on a youth he believed had “grassed” on him, a court has heard.

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Thomas Calvert, 19, went round to the 16-year-old’s home at Rock Barracks, near Woodbridge, and had told him, “You wait, I’ll be back to sort you out”, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

The threat was overheard by the boy’s mother and at the time the boy’s father was serving in Afghanistan, said Robert Sadd, prosecuting.

Sentencing Calvert to a seven-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, Recorder Simon Farrell QC said his threat had put the 16-year-old boy’s family into a “state of fear”.

He blamed Calvert for causing a large amount of worry to the boy’s father who was risking his life abroad.

“He had several tearful telephone calls from his wife back home and his son expressed considerable fear,” said Mr Farrell.

Calvert, of Easton Road, Sutton, near Woodbridge, admitted an offence of threatening revenge in September last year and, in addition to being given a suspended prison sentence he was made the subject of a 12-month supervision order.

He was also given a four-year restraining order banning him from contacting the boy’s family or going within 100metres of his home.

Mr Sadd said in December last year Calvert had admitted causing criminal damage to a bench and had been given a conditional discharge and ordered to pay compensation to the Ministry of Defence and costs.

Craig Marchant, for Calvert, said his client’s father had been in the Armed Forces and his family lived on the same estate as the victim’s family.

He said Calvert had acted impulsively and accepted he needed to learn to think before he acted.